[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

It was a disgusting and repulsive comprehension of her surroundings that compounded Yakitsukeru from knowing when she was last here. Much like the fluidity of time moved forward, the stringent fire of her own hatred of her past simply torched any willingness to try and breakdown the timeline of whens. She was simply here again, the one place near the accursed school building she was fine to return to. An emaculately revolting experience as returning here was, she was still well on her way past those days. She had new better objectives, but that did not mean she could circumvent her two greatest teachers: Yamanaka Tomomi and the Snake Sage Mitsuda. Today she was visiting the blonde puppeteer who had helped her to graduate the academy, though the demonstration, Yaki admitted was poor to some degree. Deciding it was, boldly, within her rights to simply walk inside she would. Her head peering into the small office for the blonde before even calling out a greeting, "I have returned asss I sssaid I would Tomomi. If you are in here, I would inquire to your asssissstance." The serpent of a girl would then wait with the door open, adjusting to the somewhat poorly lit office. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

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[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

Tomomi had received several letters from Yakitsukeru during her travels. Notes about her studies, what she had seen out in the world, how she was developing. The most recent letter was slightly troubling to Tomomi. They were, primarily, a loyalist. Konoha was their main focus, their main concern. Its growth, development, safety - all of it mattered more to Tomomi than their own life or the life of any individual they knew.

To receive a letter saying she hated it here... They hoped that they could change that somewhat. Provide a grounding force. Too many good shinobi had left before. It made them more wary to teach her, but they also needed eyes on her, support. She needed a reason not to leave.

When Yakitsukeru arrived at their office door, they were only a little surprised. They were buried in paperwork, the usual unimaginable influx that came from the Chuunin Exam season approaching. They ducked up from where they'd been hidden behind a pile of papers to greet her.

"Yakitsukeru - it is a pleasure to see you again. Have you gotten taller, or is it my imagination?" They asked, not unlike a friendly aunt when you saw them once again at a family reunion.

"I assume you are here to seek training on controlling suiton?" Her letter had mentioned expecting guidance on such. It was the most recent element Tomomi had mastered, but they'd been using it for... seven years, now? So they were still quite experienced with it, at least enough to provide some lessons.

"We won't find any good spot for training here. Let's go to the pond near the training grounds." Most students used the pond for water walking practice, but it was helpful for suiton practice as well.

---

Tateyama Yakitsukeru

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

The young woman couldn't help that she was pleased in this situation. Tomomi was one of the few natives of this land she was comfortable around on a more personal note. Giving a more formal greeting bow now that she was inside a situation that it was necessary she would let out a hissing laugh, "Or you have gotten shorter from hunching over your desssk for too long Tomomi." Yaki would comment before nodding to the secondary question. Moving out of the doorframe, but opening the space for the blonde jounin to move out of the building and towards the pond. Following alongside as they would walk to the commonly used pond, "I wasss able to gain the feeling and formation for the earthen nature while journeying. Sssolid, yet shifting when it needsss to be. It wasss like sssolidifying flame'sss heat and passsion in ssstoicisssm only to allow it to burn. But neither of thossse dessscribe sssuiton. Let alone anything elssse. Even grasssping the feeling and change for earth hasss not allowed me to massster any of itsss documented techniquesss, but that may be a lesson for a different day. I am being sssent tomorrow to the examinationsss by Mitsssuda-Sssensssei'sss command. Ssso I more would jussst like to focusss on gathering thossse feelingsss and learning to create the change on a fundamentalsss level." TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

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[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

That was certainly a possibility. With all the trouble constantly going on within the village, Tomomi was hunched over their desk even more than usual of late.

Yakitsukeru confirmed Tomomi's hunch that she had come to learn of suiton, describing her work with other elements and how it had yet to yield results for her in terms of jutsu, or in terms of figuring out how to control water. Still, for someone so young to even be familiarizing herself at all with these many elements outside her natural chakra was impressive.

"I'm surprised you came to me again after our odd lesson with fire," Tomomi joked. They recalled Yakitsukeru calling their methods ridiculous, though they'd been able to produce results in the end. Perhaps they'd be a better teacher with an element they had self-taught.

Arriving at the pond, Tomomi would go right to the edge of the water and kneel down, starting to manipulate its surface with their chakra.

"I understand why you decided to learn suiton next. It makes sense to bridge the two you already know, but synthesizing your familiarity with the two can also be tricky. You've created quite a challenge for yourself. Let me consider how to begin."

They were familiar with earth and all the ways it was different from water, but they had less experience with fire. They'd been considering studying it, of late, if only so they could offer Yakitsukeru better advice. After a moment of thought, they offered,

"Tell me what you believe the differences between earth and fire to be." Much of chakra manipulation came from a place of will, intent. If they could learn how she was conceptualizing the space between them, they could direct her more effectively.

---

Tateyama Yakitsukeru

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

The young viper would nod in response to their teacher of the elements as they spoke on the matter, "Sssuiton isss the bridge between the sssolid Doton and the gassseousss heat of Katon, but itsss far lesss conforming than the other two elementsss which to me ssseemsss like it would be a good way to move into the mossst erratic element of Raiton. Ssso I wished to ssstart from the center bridge of what I know now." Moving to the edge of the water the girl would look at it before hissing and her snakes would leave from under her clothing and wriggle about on the ground as she removed her scrolls, scarf, and haori. Moving to the water's edge she would turn her back away from Tomomi and slowly crouch and lay down into the pond;s water just at the edge, soaking her back and arms along with her hair in the water. Looking up just enough that her ears were above the water for a moment she would speak, "Fundamental virtuesss and vicesss and what isss required for any of them, I came upon that thought whilssst traveling. Katon requiresss emotion that is ssstrong, controlled or not, to reach the heat that isss necesssary. In that sssenssse we can associate the conceptsss of kindnesss and wrath to it quite nicelesssly I think. Meanwhile doton requiresss one'sss resssolve to be firm in what they are doing, and while that can be emotional it is more of a matter of action to concept then it isss to Katon. Which I suppose asssociatesss it bessst to Diligence and Sssloth. One fundamentally runsss by the emotional component whether it isss for good or bad, the other out of willingnesss, or in sssome casssesss, a lack of willingnesss to work. In that sssenssse I wasss born with the virtue of kindnesss, though I find myssself leaning to wrath often to ussse the element, in the sssame sssenssse I learned Doton through diligence. It wasss a lessson well learned in my travel." TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

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[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

Yakitsukeru knelt in the water and lightly laid in it. A strange thing to do, but she was a slightly odd child, and exposing herself to the element, surrounding herself by it, would perhaps in some ways help her learn to understand it. Utilizing natura chakra often involved moving your chakra to mimic the shapes made by nature, so familiarizing yourself with those patterns was essential.

She explained her personal philosophy, the association of the elements she had learned with various vices and virtues, emotional states of mind that she accessed in order to reach her manipulation of said elements, however slight. Attempting to approach the lesson through that framework would help her, then.

Tomomi hummed, thoughtful, continuing to move the water and attempting to assess exactly what emotion they felt paralleled the water most readily. Water wasn't prideful, nor envious. It was too flexible to be either such thing. Water was... hungry. It wasn't uncommon for people to characterize it like the maw of a beast in their writings throughout history, and the most powerful techniques utilizing it often involved whirlpools and storms, consuming forces. When applied to weapons, suiton helped make them more malleable, but also absorbed force.

"Perhaps it might be useful for you to think of water like... temperance and indulgence, then," Tomomi offered. "Water is much like fire in that it can become an overwhelming force, out of control, when it comes in torrents, but it's also like earth in that it is relatively stable - it can hold things. And when it holds them, it drinks them down, deeper. When you utilize suiton, your goal is often to contain and consume."

Tomomi forged a set of hand seals, then touched the water and created a large bubble, something big enough to contain a human being. It was clear this technique would be utilized to imprison someone within the sphere, if used in the field.

"Yet one must temper themselves to avoid a flood."

---

Tateyama Yakitsukeru

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

Yaki would run her arms up and push her long unruly hair upwards where it would cloud out and cover the surface of the water heading further away from her. Listening to Tomomi follow their concept to virtue and vice so readily in the ideas of water and the principle thought to it, Yakitsu couldn't help but agree, though she would hiss out a chuckle for a different reason in that statement. Indulgence, Gluttony; was that not truly her own cardinal sin? She had a need to swallow knowledge like an anaconda swallowed the prey that it crushed. Slowly she had been working her coil around the elemental releases, and now it was beginning to show; a pay off that she could genuinely point at and comprehend. Like the anaconda her prey was half way to being in her grasp. It was simply a basic push to the finish line... of at least the center of her goal, but she could still taste it so tangibly. The power; it tasted like strawberries. "I sssee then. Gluttony isss sssomething I can relate to at leassst. Ssso do me a favor firssst then Tomomi," Yakitsukeru would say with a funny look in her eyes, something like someone drunk on an idea, "Drown me firssst here will you. One minute, that should be all I need to know the feeling of being consssumed right? Maybe two?" TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

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[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

Yakitsukeru was a girl full of very, very odd ideas. When she made that request, it certainly did surprise him, though Tomomi did a good job of not showing it. With students, he'd learned that dismissing their ideas as silly right out the gate was a very bad way of helping them learn.

"I have enough medical training that I could probably help if something were to go wrong, but I'm hesitant as I'm not a medical shinobi," Tomomi admitted. "Drowning is very dangerous. Even once the process ends, you still have the water within your lungs. The damage is done and not swiftly undone."

Tomomi understood where she was coming from, though. She wanted to feel the power of the water, to strain against it, to try to grasp that power herself within her control. People often found themselves able to tackle new challenges while under duress, but creating artificial duress was outside Tomomi's usual cautious wheelhouse. They can't say they were particularly fond of the dangers involved.

"I can certainly hold you within a water prison sphere while you try to hold your breath for as long as you can, though," Tomomi offered. The desperation for air, slowly strangled from her lungs, as she was trapped within might be enough to replicate the emotion she was going for without totally endangering her life.

---

Tateyama Yakitsukeru

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

Yakitsukeru would open her eyes. Staring at the blue sky above. It was a beautiful day to die for research, or to become closer with death. She had been starved for days since coming here while she was in the academy, she could handle a little suffocation. She was almost certain that she knew more pain then what this would be. Pride taking over like that of the flame that she was, "Then we begin immediately Tomomi. I trussst you to releassse me before I actually truly drown too deep, but I will experience this pain to learn water'sss sssensssation, begin whenever you can." Yaki would then relax and inhale as she stilled. Her eyes focusing on something distant beyond both of then, intense focus as she focused inwards and felt out her own chakra. Letting it freely shift, trying to allow it flow as free as water. Trying to be temperent through her own patience with learning the lesson, but indulgence came by feeding her greed for understanding. An element of lust came from this, or perhaps it was envy. Vanity certainly wasn't the side she was pointed towards though, instead towards her lack of information with the three elements that she was still missing. A growing need to complete what she had begun so long ago. A growing hunger lurking in her soul, one that she would temper like steel into a fuel towards comprehension. Today she would grow; today she would drown. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

This child was really unduly intense. Perhaps it was just the method that helped her learn the most. Tomomi appreciated her dedication if nothing else. She was someone really committed to understanding the shinobi arts and increasing her strength. That was respectable.

Yakitsukeru relaxed, stilled, allowing her chakra to work and flow in preparation. Tomomi formed their hand seals, and then twisted the water of the pond. It rose in a swirl around Yakitsukeru before coalescing into a bubble. A sphere of water, a deadly prison, took its shape around the girl. This technique was quite deadly in the middle of a pond, but even on land it could be fearsome. Someone could drown just inches from dry land, just seconds from air.

Tomomi placed their palms against the surface of the water, using their chakra to maintain the sphere, to maintain Yakitsukeru's trapped position.

They watched her carefully, assessing her chakra signature as much as was possible while also maintaining another technique. They'd keep watch for the emotional fluctuations to see when they could spy genuine distress. If they needed to stop this practice, all they had to do was let go of the bubble underneath their fingertips and the water would fall away, so hopefully this would be a safe way of practicing exposure to drowning for the little sage.

---

Tateyama Yakitsukeru

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

As the wateer overtook her, Yakitsukeru relaxed herself, closing her eyes and letting herself focus. A rise of a burn pricking on the surface of her lungs slowly as she held her breath. Meditating inwards she felt the water around her, slow and methodical, calm like the creeping call of death, it was like a call to her death. If it was not for the pain that every so slowly crept over her chest then she would have long allowed herself to drift as she pushed her senses to be so in-tune to the water that surrounded her. A slow flow of chakra as it melded to the air in her lungs, releasing just a bit as to not suddenly be suffocating, the ebb and flow of air also like the water around her. The flow of water was a back and forth less then a circular motion, a slow teardown, a feeling that did not allow awareness to the unaware of its effects on the body. It was an odd art. Another bubble released, almost perfectly round as if coated in something. Meditate, feel, learn. What else could she pull from this? She was not entirely sure. The pain was becoming close to too much now, holding her breath was hard. A pressure building as if her body would explode from containing any more air. A silent motion she would release the last of her air and she opened her eyes. The sky felt close, yet she felt so far from the air above. She was sinking, yet she was held in place. Ah, it was consciousness. How long had she been under? A little over two minutes if she could track time well, it was hard to keep that together. Did time matter? No. Nothing mattered to the current, she felt it. Its unempathetic hunger. It was consumption itself, and it was swallowing her. So this was how it felt. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

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[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

Tomomi counted the seconds, watching as Yakitsukeru floated within the bubble of water, suspended over the earth. She closed her eyes, looking peaceful. A person holding their breath in water really could easily look dead. No rise and fall of their chest. Tomomi could feel her chakra signature, though, could watch its fluctuations, and they could see the occasional bubble of air leaving Yakitsukeru's mouth on exhale, ascending towards the top of the sphere.

One minute passed. Yakitsukeru's signature still seemed stable and calm. She was at peace in the water. It seemed she had a good handle on her respiratory system - a lot of other youths would find themselves struggling for more air at this point. Tomomi remembered that when they were ten, before they began their training in torture resistance, they could hold their breath for about one minute and forty-five seconds. They could last much longer afterwards.

Yakitsukeru was an odd child. She didn't seem stressed that she was in a situation where she could intentionally strangle the life out of herself. She didn't stress that she had put herself in a delicate situation. A crueler person than Tomomi could keep her trapped here until the life went out of her.

Two minutes passed. The bubbles became less frequent. Her signature became more faint. It was clear her consciousness was blurring at the edges. If she held it for too much longer, she would end up passing out.

Tomomi watched her signature. Rode the line carefully. The moment it became obvious she unable to continue, Tomomi released the bubble and moved to catch Yakitsukeru as the water around her fell to the earth.

---

Tateyama Yakitsukeru

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

Yaki was still as she was caught. Her breathing had stopped and for a moment she seemed still as a corpse before she convulsed releasing water from her lungs and spitting it out towards the river her eyes opening wide. Her chakra continuing to flow like a rapid current as she did so. It was an awful experience to be swallowed by the calmest form of death she had yet to find. Where her bombs were a wrathful thing that forced others to feel pain... this had been near painless - slow, patient. It was patient to feed its bottomless hunger and it was something that she couldn't quite describe. "Gluttony... ugh, that - that wasss awful. Itsss ssso patient to ssswallow a corpssse," Yaki would try to explain as she moved slightly to try and stand some since she felt no reason to act a damsal in Tomomi's arms. It was quite the embarassment if that was how she earned an owed favor to them. Instead she would wobble and stay standing crouched onto her own knees. "I think I underssstand the basssic principlesss from that. The hossstile machinationsss that hide in itsss quiet face," Yaki would state as she took a deeper breath, calming herself. Visibly a little shaken, but her eyes still held a passionate curiosity over what she had experienced. Death's door with a safety belt... perhaps the lack of that would lead her to what she needed to do in the coming exams. "I will have to find another angle to try and ssstudy the element from next, but its principlesss are sssurely gluttony and temperence. That was nothing short of the ssslowessst way I can imagine dying... worssse yet it wasss calm. Like it wasss aware it would be sssated ssslightly... quite terrifying." TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

Once Yakitsukeru had coughed out the water from her lungs and it was clear that she needed no resuscitation, Tomomi was happy to release her, allowing her to stand back on her own feet. She crouched down, trying to maintain her steadiness that way. No doubt drowning like that had shaken her and taken its toll on her body. They would continue to monitor her chakra signature throughout the rest of the exchange just to be sure she didn't need to seek a medical shinobi.

"Mh. Suiton jutsu are often underestimated, but they're some of the most frightful available to a shinobi. Drowning often produces a panic response in unwilling subjects that makes them struggle to escape. It's a slow, terrible way to die. Also quite effective as a torture method, though it's easy to damage someone irreparably if you don't know what you're doing."

Oxygen deprivation could damage the brain. It was why Tomomi had pulled the plug on the drowning experiment so quickly when Yakitsukeru became less responsive.

"Maybe a more reliable, less dangerous way to get acquainted with it would be to try swimming in it. Its vastness is very tangible even in that form," Tomomi offered. Going out into the middle of the lake and plunging in, diving, becoming acquainted with the water on one's own terms. Their own method of teaching had not been so flowery - they mostly learned through very practical, boring repetition.

---

Tateyama Yakitsukeru

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

Yakitsukeru couldn't help but nod at the sagely advice. Thought coming from the person it did left Yaki wary of whether she could truly take it at face value. Probably not, Tomomi was not the type that face value was always something that meant anything. A dash of salt to the advice soured its meaning only lightly anyways. Taking to writing into the soft earth, she would warm herself with the circulation of chakra into her hands as she formed a seal into the dirt of the ground and performed a few handseals. With the seal made she would stand and clap with her eyes closed and a harmless blast of heat would coat the girl and Tomomi if they didn't back away in a way that would most certainly dry out the two of them. "Thisss isss duly noted Tomomi, thank you again for your guidance on the matter of elementsss. Perhapsss I will be able to fully show you the fruitsss of your labor at the examinationsss. Or perhapsss I will die a dogsss death. Both are fatesss I could find myssself meeting. Though I believe I can sssurvive thisss tribulation with eassse," Yakitsukeru would state as she put her haori back on. Giving a polite bow of respect, before returning to her morbid humor. It was a lack of worry that showed she was not concerned, but similarly the fashion in which she joked that she realized the reality of her future endeavor. Perhaps it was better to not stress the blonde that Yaki considered one of many teachers. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

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